Thirsty? 

Alternative Ulster on the twelfth

Where can you get this living water? (Jo4:11). All we had to offer was 900 bottles of still water to quench the thirst of a small percentage of the crowds who had gathered to see an army following a king who died, was buried and went to meet his maker 300 years ago. We however marched to a different beat, the beat of the drum of the Maker of Heaven and of Earth, Jesus Christ the Lord.
At about 945am on the 12th July our lorry pulled onto the route that has traditionally been taken by hundreds of Orangemen and bandsmen. The lorry carried a cross and where it once carried fruit and vegetables was a band lead by Paul and Beulah Shields. The praises of our God and King rang out across Belfast. The lorry was surrounded by a Gideon’s army of volunteers waving flags, singing, and especially blessing the crowds of onlookers with bottles of water and UCB’s Word For Today daily devotionals.
Our banners draped along the sides of the lorry read “Jesus is Lord His banner over me is love.” What more could we say? The crowds had to read it for themselves and we pray that they were caused to wonder. Our prayer would be in the words of Ps40:3
“He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be astounded.
They will put their trust in the Lord.”
There was also a sense that we were reclaiming ground, we were walking a route traditionally taken by orange men, but as walked we were laying down a carpet of praise instead of one of intransigence and hate. We felt we were experiencing reclamation; especially when we reached the field; for there, there was a sense too that nature and the right way of things had already reclaimed the field and a herd of cows was grazing (we had gone to the original orange field and not the one at Barnet’s Park). We carried the cross in and prayed and sang at the crumbling bandstand. It seemed that the orange order had already relinquished ground; their route has shortened; we were there and they were not.
The cross had won the field.

The Cross is in the field

Last year at the Tara Festival a group of us were inspired to erect a 'cross in the field' after listening to Godfrey Birthills version of the James Montgomery song 'Lift up your heads' (words below).This year when Godfrey was in the Ulster Temple he sang that song and Priscilla Reid commented on the significance of the 'field' in our culture. On 12th July 2004 a group of people gathered at the Passionate Cafe to lift up Jesus in praise, in prayer and share Him through acts of service and evangelism. That venue is gone so this year we are taking the cross to the field!

We desire to release praise over the city, to show the relevance of the Gospel and to show real life! We will be driving a lorry ahead of the 12th day parade and with a cross attached to the front of it. Paul and Beulah Shields will be leading praise from the back of the lorry and a bunch of others will be walking along side giving out bottles of water with a message to the crowds.
When we near the field we will detach the cross from the lorry and carry it into the field (hopefully to be confirmed).
Our base will be May St church, where we will have breakfast and pray.
Please, please pray for us.



Lift Up Your Heads (Alleluia)
Lift up your heads , you gates of brass!
You bars of iron yield!
And let the King of glory pass;
The cross is in the field.

Alelluia....Alelluia...Alelluia.... Alelluia.........
Alelluia....Alelluia...Alelluia.... Alelluia.........

You armies of the living God
Stand in your Captains might
Go where no hallowed feet have trod
Arise My warrior bride!

O fear not, faint not, halt not now;
Don't quit, like men be strong,
To Christ shall every nation bow,
And sing with you this song.

Uplifted are the gates of brass
The bars of iron yield
Behold the King of glory pass
The cross has won the field!

James Montgomery 1771-1854 (Moravian Hymn book)
Godfrey Birtill (Music) & Adaptation
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